Dewsbury has taught English and American Studies at Wayne State University. In the following essay, she explores Rhoda's efforts to defy gender stereotypes and avoid victimization—efforts that in the end are futile.

Although Ellen Gilchrist's writings include poetry, novels, and even a screenplay, she is most recognized as a master of short fiction, specifically short stories that feature Southern females chafing against their confining culture. Many of her characters, including Rhoda Manning, Nora Jane Whittington, and Crystal Manning (Rhoda's cousin), appear in several stories at different ages and in varying circumstances.

For example, Rhoda appears in the first three stories of Gilchrist's second short story collection, Victory Over Japan. The "Rhoda" section includes "Victory Over Japan," featuring an eight-year-old Rhoda during the spring and summer of 1945; "Music," in which Rhoda as a rebellious young teenager experiments with smoking and sex; and "The Lower Garden District...